Button

ABSTRACT

A button comprises in combination a main body and a holding member to be screwed thereinto for securing the main body to the fabric of clothing or the like. An arrangement for locking the main body and the holding member in screw-thread engagement as desired is provided therebetween so as to keep the button secured in position without using thread or sewing.

United States Patent [1 1 Otsuru BUTTON [76] Inventor: Shigeru Otsuru, 12-3 Kandacho,

Higushi, Osaka, Japan [22] Filed: Oct. 8, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 187,751

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 31, 1970 Japan ..45/126517 [52] US. Cl ..24/l05, 151/8 [51] Int. Cl. ..A44b 1/30 [58] Field of Search ..24/105, 106, 109; 151/8, 69

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 355,342 l/1887 Sanders et al. ..24/105 1,240,046 9/1917 Hubener 15 1 I8 [451 Apr. 10, 1973 1,384,859 6/1921 Sartain ..151/8 1,400,420 12/ l 921 Colley ....24/ l 05 1,785,709 12/1930 Campau.....; ..85/9 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 155,583 3/1954 Australia 15 US Primary Examiner-Francis K. Zugel Assistant Examiner-Kenneth J. Domer Attorney-Thomas P. Van Poole et a1.

[5 7 ABSTRACT A button comprises in combination a main body and a holding member to be screwed thereinto for securing the main body to the fabric of clothing or the like. An arrangement for locking the main body and the holding member in screw-thread engagement as desired is provided therebetween so as to keep the button secured in position without using thread or sewing.

1 Claim, 15 Drawing Figures PATENTEU 3,725,979

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Inventor Sl-lmeeu Uruveu m Asa-15% Allorney 5 BUTTON BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a button which can be secured in position without using any thread or troublesome sewing.

Buttons have heretofore been secured to the fabric of clothing or the like by sewing with thread. Accordingly, when the thread is torn off, the button will come off and sewing on a button takes a considerable time. For example, when a button is to be replaced, the fastening thread has to be cut off to remove the button and a new button is then fastened in position by sewing, hence very troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention aims to eliminate above-mentioned drawbacks and inconveniences.

An object of this invention is to provide a button comprising in combination a main body and a holding member for securing the main body to the fabric of clothing or the like, the'button thus being adapted to be fastened to the fabric without the troublesome procedure of sewing with thread.

Another object of this invention is to provide a button of the type described wherein the button main body is formed with an internal thread and the holding member is provided with an external thread for screwthread engagement therebetween so that the button can be readily secured in position irrespective of the thickness of the fabric of clothing or the like to which it is to be fastened.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a button of the foregoing type wherein an arrangement is provided between the button main body and the holding member for keeping the main body screwed to the holdingmember as desired against relative displacement therebetween once they are secured to the fabric.

These and other objects of this invention will be accomplished by the mode of embodiments to be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a plan view showing the main body of a button in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in section taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a holding member to be used in combination with the button main body;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the holding member as seen from below, i.e., from the head side;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the holding member as seen from above, i.e., from the stem side;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the same as a latch portion at the end ofa pin is outwardly projected;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view in section taken along the line 7-7 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a view in section showing the button as it is' secured to a thin fabric of clothing or the like;

FIG. 9 is a similar view in section showing the button as it is fastened to a thick fabric;

FIG. 10 (I) is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the principal parts in the initial step of securing the button in place;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of this invention will be described. The main body 10 of a button shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a main portion 11 which has to be most ornamental in appearance, a neck 12 supporting the main portion 11 V at an elevated position and a flange 13. At the center of the main body 10 there is provided an aperture 14 formed with an internal thread 15. The main body further has one or a plurality of recesses 16 at its upper portion.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 7, a holding member 20 to be used in combination with the main body 10 of the button has a clamping head 21 and a stem 23 formed with an external thread 22. A slot 24 is formed at the upper end of the stem 23. Extending from the slot 24 toward the head 21 is a small hole 25 and a large hole 26 communicating with the hole 25 and extending through the head 21. The holes 25 and 26 are deviated from the axis C-C of the stem 23. As will be seen from FIG. 7, the slot 24 comprises a short slot section 24a on the right of the small hole.25 and an elongated slot section 24b on the left. A pin 27 is inserted into the small and large holes 25 and 26. One end (i.e., lower end as seen in the drawing) of the pin 27 is provided with a head 28 having a greater diameter than the pin 27 or partly projecting outward. The other end (i.e., the upper end in the drawing) is bent at a right angle to provide a latch portion 29. Within the large hole 26 between the head 28 of the pin 27 and a shoulder 30 by which the large hole 26 is constricted to the small hole 25, there is provided a resilient member 31, such as a coil spring as shown in FIG. 7, which keeps the head 28 away from the shoulder 30. Thus, the pin 27 is pulled downward by the spring 31, with the latch portion 29 pressed against the bottom face 240 of the slot.

As shown in FIG. 7 (FIG. 5), the latch portion 29 at the distal end of the pin 27 has such lengththat when seated in the elongated slot 24!; on the left, it is positioned diametrically inwardly of the groove of the external thread 22 of the stem 23 but when positioned in the short slot 24a on the right as indicated in the chain line in FIG. 7 (FIG. 6), it projects diametrically outwardly of the ridge of the external thread 22. In the former state, the external thread 22 can readily engage with the internal thread 15 of the main body 10, whereas in the latter state, the pin 27 prevents the screw-thread engagement therebetween.

Further the main body 10 of the button may be formed with a very short neck 12 with no flange as shown in FIG. 11 or can be formed without any neck and flange.

The button of this invention having the foregoing construction will be fastened to the fabric 50 of clothing or the like in the following manner. First, a perforation 51 is made in the fabric 50 for inserting the stem 23 of the holding member 20. The stem 23 is then passed through the perforation 51 until the head 21 contacts the fabric 50 to project the threaded stem 23 from the front face of the fabric 50, with the latch portion 29 of the pin 27 positioned in the elongated slot 24b on the left. Subsequently, the internal thread of the main body 10 defining the aperture 14 is driven into mating engagement with the external thread 22 on the stem 23 to such extent that the fabric 50 will be clamped between the flange 13 of the body 10 and the head 21 of the holding member as seen in FIG. 10 (I). Next, a slender rod 60 is inserted into the large hole 26 of the holding member 20 through the head 21 to push up the pin 27 against the spring 31, whereby the latch portion 29 of the pin 27 is disengaged from the bottom face 24c of the slot 24 and further brought upward beyond the upper edge 16a of the recess 16 in the main body 10 as illustrated in FIG. 10 (II). The latch portion 29 is now free to rotate when pushed sidewise. Accordingly, if the short slot 24a has already been aligned with one of the recesses 16 as seen from the above and the latch portion 29 is brought to a position above the short slot 24a in registry therewith as shown in FIG. 10 (III), the latch portion 29 will be brought into pressing contact with the bottom face of the short slot 24a under the action of the spring 31 as shown in FIG. 10 (IV), when the pin 27 is relieved of the upward pressure exerted thereon by the rod 60. As a result, part of the latch portion 29 comes into the recess 16 of the main body 10. Thus, the main body 10 in this state will be held on to the fabric 50 along with the holding member 20, even if it is attempted to rotate the main body 10 on the holding member 20 in screw-thread contact therewith, since part of the latch member 29 in the short slot 24a is positioned in the recess 16 to prevent the rotation. Both FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate this state.

To detach the button from the fabric 50, the pin 27 is pushed up by the above-mentioned rod 60 and the latch portion 29 of the pin 27 is rotated from above the short slot 24a to the position above the elongated slot 24b. The pin is then freed from the upward pressure, whereupon the latch portion 29 is brought back into the elongated slot 24b. The main body 10 will then be unscrewed from the holding member 20. In this state, the pin 27 is entirely free of interference with the rotation of the main body 10 on the holding member and therefore assures ease of removal.

It will be apparent from the above description that the button of this invention can be readily fastened to the fabric 50 of clothing by means of the screw-thread engagement between the main body 10 and the holding member 20. The button is retained in the fixed position merely by fitting the latch portion of pin 27 in the recess 16 of the main body 10, without permitting the engaged portions to be loosened or detached. As already described, the button can be detached by the simple procedure of disengaging the latch portion 29 from the recess 16, this ensuring easy replacement of button. I

The arrangement wherein the fabric 50 18 held between the main body 10 and the holding member 20 as if for protection assures that the fabric will be reliably protected and clamped with the advantage of less possibility of damaging the fabric than in the conventional practice of sewing with thread.

Since the button of the invention can be applied to fabrics of a various thicknesses within the range corresponding to the depth of the recess 16 in the button main body 10, it can be used for both thin and thick fabrics as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 in so far as the recess is of a considerable depth. If a wide variety of buttons are made identical with respect to the internal thread 15 of the main body 10 and the external thread 22 of the holding member 20, one button can be readily replaced with another merely with use of a slender rod for-pushing up the pin 27 of the holding member 20, without using any needle or thread. In this way, the buttons on clothes and overcoats can be easily replaced as the wearer desires for a change of appearance as well as for an ornamental effect. Thus the objects of this inven tion will be fully achieved.

What is claimed is:

l. A button comprising in combination a button main body formed with an internally threaded aperture extending through said main body and a suitable number of recesses in its upper portion and a holding member for securing said main body to the fabric of clothing or the like with said holding member having an externally threaded stem so that said main body and said holding member can be held together by screw-thread engagement therebetween, said holding member also including a head greater than said stem and integral with said stem, said stem being formed with a slot in its upper end and an eccentric hole extending from said slot through said head and dividing said slot into an elongated section and a short section, a pin being disposed within said hole and pulled toward said head by a resilient member, said pin having a distal bent end to provide a latch portion positioned outside said hole and to be brought into the recess of said main body, said latch portion permitting the internal thread of said main body to engage with the external thread of said holding member when positioned in the elongated slot, said latch portion further partly projecting outwardly from the slot when positioned in the short slot to thereby lock said main body and said holding member 

1. A button comprising in combination a button main body formed with an internally threaded aperture extending through said main body and a suitable number of recesses in its upper portion and a holding member for securing said main body to the fabric of clothing or the like with said holding member having an externalLy threaded stem so that said main body and said holding member can be held together by screw-thread engagement therebetween, said holding member also including a head greater than said stem and integral with said stem, said stem being formed with a slot in its upper end and an eccentric hole extending from said slot through said head and dividing said slot into an elongated section and a short section, a pin being disposed within said hole and pulled toward said head by a resilient member, said pin having a distal bent end to provide a latch portion positioned outside said hole and to be brought into the recess of said main body, said latch portion permitting the internal thread of said main body to engage with the external thread of said holding member when positioned in the elongated slot, said latch portion further partly projecting outwardly from the slot when positioned in the short slot to thereby lock said main body and said holding member in the engaged position. 